Dancing
by Sigma
Summary: Kara teaches Lee how to dance.


**Dancing**

**By Sigma**

**Word Count**: 7,587  
**Date**: 13/05/05  
**Series**: One   
**Rating**: MA   
**Category**: Relationship  
**Pairing/Focus**: L/K  
**Warnings**: Smut, with a side order of plot.  
**Summary**: Kara teaches Lee how to dance.  
**Spoilers/Disclaimers: Very Mild season one spoilers. I own nothing! And especially not any of the intellectual copyright involved in BSG!**

Apollo was hunting and people knew better than to get in his way.

He stalked down the endless grey corridors of Galactica hardly aware of his surrounding or the looks he was garnering from the rest of the crew. Eyebrows raised as he passed, men and women trading speaking looks behind his back, taken aback to see their normally imperturbable Captain almost visibly spitting fury, radiating irritation like a cat with its fur stroked backwards. They flattened against the walls as he stalked past and thanked the high lords that they weren't the subjects of his wrath on this occasion.

But he hardly noticed. The subject of his wrath was in the brig, bloody and beaten up, with a sprained wrist and an ankle injury that would take weeks to heal. Weeks when his duty station would go unmanned, weeks when they would be one desperately needed pilot down, while he languished in his bunk in the brig and faced the consequences of his actions. The only saving grace had been that the other guy hadn't been another pilot, just a food technician who had mouthed off in Hotdog's face one too many times after the pilot had pulled a double duty shift and his temper wasn't under his normal tenuous control. _He _was in sickbay, and would be there for a number of days, before he joined his erstwhile opponent in the brig. But the fact that Hotdog had won didn't make the whole situation any less irritating. Shifts would have to be changed and other pilots would have to work double watches to make up for the gap. Which is why Lee was both pissed and hunting for his Lead Pilot, wherever she had got to. He wanted her opinion, and he wanted to vent at her, as well as reassure himself that for once it wasn't her down in the brig.

But he couldn't_ find_ her. Starbuck, so normally loud and the centre of attention had pulled one of her periodic vanishing acts, disappearing into the aether, and for Lee, with his less than perfect knowledge of Galactica's nooks and crannies it was proving to be a frustrating search.

He had tried the mess hall, the bunkroom, the wardroom, observation deck, CIC, the ready room, the shower rooms and what seemed like miles of featureless grey corridor and decking. But no Starbuck. Even more annoying, no one seemed to have seen her or have any clue where she had gone. If it wasn't for the fact that there had been no launches in the last few hours he might have started to worry that she had somehow jumped ship. As it was he was just increasingly frustrated and getting faintly worried. After all people didn't just disappear. Especially not someone as totally _present_ as Starbuck. And especially not on Galactica.

He cut across the starboard hanger for what seemed like the umpteenth time, footfalls loud against the metal of the deck. He had no idea where she might have gone and it was freaking him out. After all he thought he knew Kara's routines and habits as well as his own, seeing as she was his best friend, drinking buddy, companion in flight and exercise, a bracing presence when he was feeling down, and the source of a sharp and ready dressing down when she thought he was getting above himself. He'd known her for years and thought he knew her inside out, but the fact that she had somewhere she went to that he didn't know about, a secret place that she hadn't shared with him, well that rubbed him the wrong way. It was as if she had been keeping things from him. And if she had kept this secret who knew what else she might have kept. And that wasn't _fair. _

He didn't keep secrets from her. Well, not too many anyway. Just security issues occasionally and the small fact that sometimes the curves of her body haunted his dreams, glimpses of skin caught out of the corner of his eye when she showered or changed forming a kaleidoscope of images that echoed in his minds eye and left him panting and breathless. Too often these days those glimpses of skin had sent his dreams spiralling into places his waking mind was determined not to venture into. After all it was pretty obvious that she didn't see him like that and he wasn't going to risk the most important friendship he had left by blundering in where he wasn't wanted. Even if the mere sight of her in shorts and a sweat darkened tank, face still flushed after a run had the capability to reduce him to dry mouthed incomprehensibility.

He spotted Tyrol's dark head emerging from underneath Kara's monstrous souvenir and angled over, ignoring the faint look of dread that the Chief was sending his way.

"Chief."

"Sir."

He leaned against the raider and offered the other man his best tightly pulled in smile, a smile that assured the senior non com that things were going to become extremely unpleasant if he didn't get the answer he was looking for.

"Starbuck. Where is she?"

The Chief eyed him warily, obviously wondering how to get this madman off his deck as soon as possible.

"Haven't seen her, sir. Have you tried the mess hall?"

Apollo smiled at him through gritted teeth.

"Yes Chief. I've tried the mess hall, and the ready room, and the observation desk and just about every frakking other room in this god dammed labyrinth of a ship!"

He was aware that his voice was rising in volume along with his temper but really he couldn't bring himself to care anymore. And anyway by looking at the Chief's face it was clear the damage was done. He was looking distinctly put out.

"Well then, I don't know if I can help you, _sir. _ If you don't mind I've got a lot of work to do keeping this _god dammed ship_ in one piece, so I'll just go back to work, _sir_."

Grimacing Lee turned away from the stony faced Chief, only too aware that he had burned his bridges there. He really shouldn't have referred to Galactica as a god-dammed labyrinth, especially not to the Galactica veteran Chief, but sometimes the place just drove him nuts. Especially when Kara wasn't around to take his mind off it. He ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the short strands in agitation and then rounded like a hawk striking on the small presence that was suddenly standing to his left.

"What!"

Cally actually stepped back at the look on his face and he cursed inwardly, fighting to settle his expression into a more neutral vein.

"Specialist. What can I do for you?"

"Well, sir, I heard that you're looking for Lt Thrace. I think I know where she might be."

He nearly reached out to grab her and controlled himself at the last minute.

"You do? Where?"

She swallowed nervously at the intensity of his regard but held her ground.

"Well, I know that sometimes she likes to go to the old port gun turret room. You know the one that was sealed off months ago. She said she likes the quiet."

He could have kissed her, and at the same time he cursed himself for his stupidity. Of course she would go there. Just because an area was technically off limits didn't mean she wouldn't consider it fair game. In fact, knowing Starbuck as he did it should have been the first place that he looked. But no, by the book Apollo had to stick to the official list of places she could be. He should have known better. Pausing to throw out a quick but sincere thank you to the young specialist he stalked away, leaving Cally and the Chief to breath a sigh of relief in his wake.

"He really wanted to find her, Chief. Do you think Starbuck's in some kind of trouble?"

Tyrol patted her one the shoulder reassuringly. "If she is it's nothing you've done. He'd have found her sooner or later. And at least this way we can get some work done in peace. Now hand me that Number 9 wrench and let's get back to work."

At least he knew where he was going now, which was a nice change. It made up for the fact that he had to pretty much clamber over the entire length of the ship to get there. Trust Kara to pick the most inhospitable part of the ship to hang out in. And he still wasn't exactly sure which of the many parts of the port gun turret she was in. He padded along the dimly lit corridor, moving from shadow to shadow, the dim light of the safety lights hardly sufficient to stop him tripping over his own feet. This was certainly not the most visited area of Galactica. Which is why he was able to hear the faint sound of what sounded like music seeping through the gap in a partly opened hatch. Brow furrowed he cautiously pushed it open, slipping into the space beyond, only slightly better lit than the corridor by a few strategically placed torches. And he found himself gawping like an idiot. Whatever he might have expected to find her up to he certainly hadn't expected to find this.

Kara was dancing.

She had stripped down to track pants and bra top, rolling the top of the pants down so they sat on the curves of her hips, just where her fingers were lingering, a few inches below the dark dimple of her bellybutton. Her eyes were heavy lidded and half closed, inward looking and there was a small, secret smile on her face, laced with lazy pleasure and a bittersweet edge that he couldn't quite put a finger on. But as his brain seemed to have decided to short circuit that wasn't too surprising. The sight of too much ivory skin and curves that were normally covered up by a flight suit or ancient sweats had dried the back of his mouth quicker than you could say viper and suddenly he desperately, really needed a cold shower.

It took a moment or to before she seemed to realise that he was there and then she paused, raising an inquiring eyebrow in his direction, her small smile widening to an approximation of the shit-eating grin he was used to.

"Hey, Apollo. Wouldn't have expected to see you here. What'cha doing?"

He leaned back against the hatch, suddenly very grateful for the icy cold of the metal against his back.

"Looking for you."

He could see her consider that, turning over his sudden appearance and examining it from all angles, as if he was a tactical problem she was contemplating solving.

"Any particular reason?"

Suddenly all of the original reasons he had been so anxious to find her seemed petty and faintly ridiculous. If he had been honest he had to admit he had wanted to find her just because he had wanted to find her. Sometimes he just needed her to be around. And if he was even more honest with himself he could admit that that was what scared him more than anything. But he didn't want to think about that just now. Now all he wanted to find out was why she came up here to be alone, and why she was dancing. He shook his head, shrugging slightly.

"Not really. Nothing that can't wait." H e could see that she wasn't convinced and ploughed on before she had a chance to get a word in.

"I didn't know you danced."

She just looked amused now, her eyes glinting in appreciation at the effectiveness of his diversion.

"Sometimes. If I can't fly and I don't want to run. It's another good stress reliever. At the academy Zak and I used to…"

Her voice trailed off and he caught sight of that bittersweet edge to her smile again. Anxious not to move into more maudlin territory he interrupted again, emphasising his words with a scowl that she knew well enough to interpret as teasing.

"You never asked me to come along! So this was just a Starbuck and Zak thing, huh?"

She bit her lip to hold back a chuckle, eyes sparkling at him merrily. "Yes, we did. We started going at the beginning of Spring semester, remember? But you had that flight aeronautics exam the next day and you just wouldn't budge from your desk. I finally gave up pestering you when you nearly socked me one."

He met her grin with one of his one, warm and heartfelt and she felt her heart constrict just a little at the sight. It was rare to see him really smile like that.

"I remember. The calculus involved was a bitch. But you could have asked me next time."

She shrugged, one shouldered. "Maybe. But by that time we had found the kind of clubs and the kind of music that we liked. It wasn't your kind of music, Lee."

He raised an amused eyebrow at her and gestured to the small audio player she had hooked up. "I like this kind of music just fine."

She couldn't resist it, turning away from him to send a teasing glance over her shoulder as she began to move in time with the music again. "Hhmm. Actually to be honest we just didn't think you'd be comfortable in the clubs. After all Lee, I'm sorry, but you really can't dance."

That surprised him enough that he had pushed away from the hatch and taken several steps in her direction before he knew it.

"I can so dance." He was vaguely aware that he was sounding like a five year old, but couldn't bring himself to care. She glanced over her shoulder at him again and gave him another of those maddening, teasing smiles and shrugged.

"Well, if it's formal dancing you do okay, I'll give you that. But not this kind of dancing, Apollo. You're too controlled," she was smirking at him outright now, "and you've got no rhythm."

For a moment he just stood there, mouth opening and closing incoherently. But he recognised a challenge when he heard one, especially after so many years of hearing that teasing tone in her voice when she issued a challenge that she knew he'd never take her up on. Just for once he wanted to surprise her.

He moved boldly into her space, slipping around her side, smirking at the surprise so clear in her expression.

"Lee, what are you doing?" She was suddenly very conscious of the few inches separating them and the heat of his body radiating out from his uniform jacket against her mostly bare skin. He had always been a furnace, the few times she had fallen asleep against his shoulder had proved that. But now he was awfully close and looking down at her with a devilish glint in his eyes that was making her nervous, the hairs of her body standing up, hyper-sensitive.

He smirked down at her. "Well, if you're so great a dancer, why don't you teach me? I'm sure the mighty Starbuck can give lessons, even if it is only to a lowly nugget with no rhythm…"

She was so surprised that she almost stumbled, breaking from the beat of the music. This wasn't like Lee, who always backed down from her more ridiculous challenges, his sense of proprietary preventing him from risking any humiliation in front of others. But after all, there wasn't anyone else to see here was there? And he'd never been one to back down when it was just the two of them. She might have miscalculated. She glanced around but the room remained resolutely empty, not a single soul unexpectedly appearing who could get her out of this. Nope only Lee, and his shit eating grin, just waiting for her to back down. Well, two could play at that game. She gave him her best, overly sweet smile, inwardly grinning at the momentary flash of panic that she saw in his eyes. Yes, two could certainly play. And she was Starbuck. She always played to win.

For a minute he wondered what exactly he had got himself into, especially when her first actions were to deliberately start undoing his uniform jacket. Before she could get any further than the first button he had caught at her hands, holding her gently by the wrists, stilling her actions.

"Kara – what exactly are you doing?" He was quite impressed that he managed to keep his voice from betraying the tremor that was had shivered through his frame at even this most abstract touch. She smirked up at him impishly, freeing her hands and attacking the buttons again.

"Jacket has to come off, Lee. You can't do this kind of dancing in these clothes."

"I can take off my clothes, thanks." He stepped back, making good on his words, stripping off the jacket and casting it carelessly in the corner, never breaking eye contact. She mock pouted and grinned even wider.

"Ah, Apollo, you're really no fun."

She held up her hands in surrender.

"But if you insist. Come here." She pointed to where he had been standing a moment before.

He approached her again, a little bit wary. He could tell that she had a plan. And a Starbuck with a plan was never the most predictable of creatures.

When she had him standing the way she wanted, she wandered over to the audio player, turning up the volume and changing the beat to something slightly stronger, music that reached out like smoke, the beat stealing through the room as compelling and insidious as a beckoning finger. The she prowled around him, while he bit his lip, half amused and half irritated. It was as if she was assessing him like a viper she was about to fly, checking for faults and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up to be the subject of such constant and continued scrutiny. Finally she slid round to stand in front of him again and paused, one finger tapping against full lips in a way he found damnably distracting.

"The problem with you Lee, is that you're too stiff. Too controlled." Before he could answer she went on. "Now normally that's probably a good thing, what with the job you have to do and everything, but it's not with this music. For this music you've got to relax. Go with the flow. Let everything go loose."

As she was speaking she had begun to demonstrate, the movement starting almost imperceptibly from the hips and flowing up the torso, arms curling up, body curving on itself. He watched, mesmerised. This wasn't a side of Starbuck he had ever seen before and he wondered how he could have missed it. Starbuck the sensualist. With a pang that he recognised as envy he realised this must have been what Zak was privileged to see and almost absently he wondered if this sensuality, this sheer comfort with her body extended into the bedroom as well. If so….he shook his head like a dog shaking off water and tried to clear his mind, but it was difficult with Starbuck so close, and moving in a way that made him ache to touch her, to run his fingers over the curves of waist and hips, to lick away the bead of sweat that was travelling down into the shadow between her breasts.

She hadn't seem to have noticed how pole axed he was, dancing in her own little world a few inches away. It was only after he been standing stock still for a few minutes that she took notice, opening her eyes to look up at him with a humph of frustration.

"Dammit Lee, in order to dance you actually have to move." She reached out to grab his hands and pulled him even closer, too focused on fixing the problem to notice how his breath caught at her nearness.

"Relax your knees. No, more." She pushed down on his shoulders until he was slightly crouched to her satisfaction, and then took his hands in hers, palm to palm.

"Just follow me, move with me. It's easy, honest."

He was too stiff and it puzzled her, some unknown rigidity making him awkward and tentative. She frowned at him, for despite her earlier teasing he did actually have a fairly good sense of rhythm and normally was fluidly in control of his body, unconsciously graceful in motion. But now he was standing like a log, stiff and unyielding, and her earlier intention to win their little bet fading into the more personal challenge of getting him to relax for once. This could be good for him.

She shifted even closer, trying to get him to follow the movement of her body, unwittingly causing his heartbeat to race and sweat to break out on his upper lip. Almost stumbling he started to move, too caught up in his own personal battle to relax, shambling after her in a hopeless imitation until frustrated, she pulled them both to a halt and frowned up at him, worry in her eyes.

"This isn't working. What's wrong?"

He pulled back a bit, trying gently to free his hands, but she held on, fingers entwined with his. It was getting hard to breath steadily and he was sure his face must have been giving some of what he was feeling away, but she didn't seem to notice, simply staring up at him, that little crease of worry furrowing between her brows.

"I just can't - look, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I should go." He attempted to step back again but she moved with him, refusing to let go of his hands.

"No."

He frowned back at her. "What do you mean no?"

She slipped closer, intent on him. "You can do this. Just try."

"Look, maybe I don't want to. In fact I think it's best that I go."

He gently disengaged himself and pulled away, grabbing his uniform jacket as he went and slipping it on, heading for the hatch.

Kara wasn't sure what had just happened, but she knew she didn't like it. Apollo had never backed down at anything where she was concerned before, at least once he had taken up the challenge. And she had hoped that maybe this unexpected encounter would give her a chance to pierce his armour just a little, to see if there was anything in how he responded to her beyond their almost incestuously close friendship. And for a moment when she had felt him shiver when she touched him she had thought she was getting somewhere but then that damned wall had come crashing down and she had lost him again. But she wasn't putting up with it. Not this time.

Before he could reach the hatch she had slipped in front of him to lean against it, blocking his exit. Frustrated he came to a dead stop in front of her, careful not to touch.

"Dammit Kara. Let me out." He sounded tired and frustrated and for a moment she considered doing just that, letting him out, leaving them in their carefully balanced equilibrium for another unbounded space of time. But she'd never been a coward and she wasn't about to start now. And this was Lee. He'd never hurt her.

"I don't want you to go. Please don't go."

He had been staring at the deck, fatigue and resignation clear on his face, but at the quiet and almost tentative tone of her voice he looked up at her, to find her staring directly into his eyes, her eyes softer and more open than normal. She looked almost nervous.

Suddenly he didn't want to do this anymore, this constant dance of to-ing and fro-ing, where one advanced and the other retreated, but nothing ever actually happened.

"Why? Give me a reason to stay."

She moved towards him and slipped hands under his undone jacket, pushing it off across his shoulders, her fingers skimming his skin, causing both of them to twitch in unison as it dropped onto the ground behind him.

"Stay for me, Lee." She reached down and took his hand, reaching up with the other to cup his face, biting down on a gasp as he moved almost unconsciously to nuzzle into her palm. For a moment they both stayed frozen and then she gave his hand a gentle tug, pulling him into the centre of the room, slipping even closer, almost pressing up against his body, only a breath separating them now.

"Dance with me."

He felt as if someone had reached in and ripped out his vocal chords, leaving him incoherent and dumb, but he still had enough control to take what she offered, slipping a hand free to mimic her earlier action, cupping the side of her face, barely able to suppress a shudder when she turned her head briefly to kiss his palm. Her eyes were burning hazel now in the dimness, and she smiled up at him, reaching out to take his hands and place them on her hips, with just the fingertips skimming her waistline. Her skin was warm and softer than anything he could have imagined and as he tried to process the sensation she moved closer still, pressing up against his body.

"Lee?"

He breathed in, feeling the shape of her against his body, soft mounds of breast against his chest, leg slipped in between his. Even through his uniform pants and her sweats he imagined he could feel her warmth. He tried to focus, managing on the second attempt to pull back a little from wherever his brain had been heading.

"Yes?"

Her voice was almost a murmur and he had to strain to hear it.

"Close your eyes."

With a feeling of almost benediction he closed his eyes and finally gave in to the dance the way she had always known he could, relaxing, starting to move with her movements, echoing the subtle shifts of her body that pressed against his so closely. His hands skimmed her hips and shifted up, a feather light caress against the bare skin of her waist and she bit her lip, trying not to gasp, winding an arm around his shoulders, burying a hand in his hair. In exchange he pulled her closer still so she was almost riding his hip, leaning forward, breathing warm breath along the bare skin of her neck in little puffs that made her whole skin shudder. She could feel the difference in him now; the increasing confidence and she relaxed even further as she subtly took control of their dance, moving them both in time to the beat that wound out so insidiously across the room.

When his lips finally touched her skin she nearly cried out, and then caught herself just in time, embarrassment flushing across her fair skin like a tide. He felt the heat and smiled against the sensitive underside of her neck, dropping teasing little kisses up the column of her throat, savouring every murmur and shudder. When he finally made his way to her mouth she was almost mindless, turning to seek out his lips blindly, gasping at the teasing pressure of his lips as he nibbled at her bottom lip, seeking entrance.

Gods, did he know how to kiss. She would never have expected it from calm, controlled Lee, but already her body was burning against his and she could feel the insistent pressure of desire coiling up between her legs, pooling in her groin. When he finally pressed for entrance she gave it willingly, lips pressing, tongues tangling, as they tasted each other. He tasted like salt and man and something indescribable that was just Lee and he kissed her hard, even slightly roughly, taking control, until her lips were swollen and she was gasping into his mouth.

With a wrench she broke the kiss, moving her mouth down the length of his throat, biting gently at his earlobe with sharp cat teeth. Reassuringly he seemed just as affected as she was, if the muffled gasps she was causing were any indication.

She slipped her hands under his sweats, delighting in the smooth skin of his back, solid muscle under satin skin, running up the stretch of his spine, her skin burning deliciously where his heat came in contact with her own bare flesh. He groaned under her ministrations, his own hands busily running up and down her exposed torso, skimming gently over her bra top, cupping her breasts as she arced into his touch. That small movement seemed to ignite an even greater fire and he reached up and almost angrily pulled the rest of his sweats over his head, pulling her in even closer and burying his head in the shadow between her breasts, licking the sensitive skin, tasting her sweat.

Lee couldn't quite believe this was happening, that it wasn't just one of the many fantasies that he had made up to comfort himself in the long hours of the night. But no, she really was here, hot skin pressed against his, shifting and straining even closer, eyes closed and face flushed with passion. With a wrench he pulled himself back from the brink, pulling his lips from her skin, pressing forehead to forehead. She opened her eyes and looked at him, already drowned in passion, eyes burning and half unfocused.

"What's the matter?"

He kept still with an effort although he ached to touch her again, to make that drowned look permanent.

"Kara, do you want this? Do you want me, like this?"

For a moment she paused, confused, and then she laughed soundlessly, winding her arms around his neck, biting at the edge of his exposed collarbone, smiling against his skin at his gasp of pleasure. Payback was fair play.

"Lee, you're an idiot. I've wanted you for years, like this. Now shut up and kiss me, flyboy."

She could feel the laughter rising in his chest as he tipped her head back to meet her amused gaze, an irresistible smile slipping out to spread across his face.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Then he bent his head and did exactly what she asked.

It was singing in his blood, beating like a paean, she wanted him. She'd wanted him for years. Gods, he'd been blind. With a smothered laugh he bend down and did as she requested, kissing her so hard that both their knees gave way and they slid down to the deck with Kara kneeling half across his lap. She could feel him now, hard between her thighs and she ground down, causing him to bite at her lip in response, almost drawing blood. Delighted at this evidence of how she was affecting him she ground down again, and he responded, hands slipping down to curl round her buttocks, kneading the soft flesh, only pulling his body away for a second to pool their discarded jackets and sweat tops into a heap, warming and cushioning the cold metal of the floor somewhat. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable of beds but to be honest he doubted if either of them even cared.

Then he went back to the attack.

If she had known it was going to be like this she would have outright seduced him years ago. She moaned as he pinched her nipples gently through the material of her bra top, taking away his fingers only to replace them with his teeth, biting gently, nibbling at the exposed skin of her chest, and burying his face between her breasts.

She ran seeking hands across his chest as he slipped his hands up beneath her bra top, pulling it quickly over her head and letting it drop on to their pile of bedding, holding her gaze as he licked his fingers and reached down to caress the underside of her breasts, the moisture leaving trails of cold across her skin that he bend to lave away with the heat of his mouth and tongue. Gods it felt so good. When he finally took a nipple into his mouth she cried out, the sound echoing in the cavern and then hid her head against his chest for a moment, embarrassed. He chuckled and simply let her be for a moment, to catch her breath, running caressing hands across her back in long sweeps that heightened already overly sensitive skin and that skimmed ever lower with each sweep, fingers caressing the top of her bottom where it showed above her sweat pants.

It definitely wasn't fair that he thought he was running this show. With narrowed eyes and a flare of temper she put her hands on his chest pushed firmly, sending him slipping back onto their pile of clothes, straddling him and smirking slightly at his faintly surprised expression.

"What?" He tried to speak but she reached out and put a finger across his lips; amused by the way his gaze kept slipping south to her breasts.

"Shh. My turn now."

With a smirk he relaxed, a relaxation that was short lived as she attacked his body with the thoroughness that was such a Starbuck characteristic. He gasped as she licked his way down his torso, outright moaned as she bit gently at his nipples, hardening them both to twin nubs. He tried to return the favour, but she was too quick for him, only allowing him brief caresses, flashing him an impish grin from under her fringe as she kissed her way down his body. When he reached the top of his uniform pants she paused, looking up at him as he gazed down at her, biting his lip in a futile bid for self-control. Then she reached out and carefully undid the buttons at his waist and down his fly, deliberately not touching what he so desperately wanted her to touch, only briefly running a delicate finger down his length under the thick material of his uniform pants, leaving him arcing up in her hand, shuddering and gasping.

"Dammit Kara. Are you trying to kill me?" he managed to grind out. She smirked at him in response.

"Not yet."

She slipped her body down his legs, hands skimming the rough material of his uniform, until she came to his boots, which she attacked with the same single minded vigour that she did everything else. Cursing under his breath he sat up and helped her, both slipping off their boots, shoving them away with their feet, socks joining the pile of clothing that cushioned their bodies. Suddenly impatient he pulled her onto his lap, her legs straddling his, his length pressing hard and hot between them as he buried his face in her chest again, moving hungrily from one breast to the other until she cried out again and rubbed herself mindlessly against his thighs. Moving his mouth back up to her lips he slipped his hands down below the waistband of her sweats, cupping the soft globes of her bottom, kneading the warm skin as she shuddered against him, and leaned back, leaving the soft skin of her throat vulnerable to his seeking mouth.

He pulled her sweats down inch by teasing inch, never stopping in his thorough assault of the bare flesh revealed. Finally by dint of a few shifts in position he slipped them over her ankles, so she was naked against him. For a second he paused, glorying in the feel of her flesh against him, so bare in his arms, until his admiring scrutiny made her blush and bury her head against his chest again to hide. With a smile he tugged gently at her hair until she met his eyes again.

"Kara, you're beautiful. Everywhere."

He punctuated his words with a long caress that started at her shoulders and slipped all the way down her spine to curve around her buttocks, causing her to shift and purr like a cat. Then before she could move he slipped his fingers very gently between her thighs, skimming the damp heat there, causing her to writhe and moan against him. He touched her gently, testing, finding out what made her writhe, what made her shudder and cry out, what brought her to quivering immobility. He touched her until she was gasping, clenching strong thighs around his legs, grinding down into his hand, head thrown back in pleasure, sweat pooling on her skin that he licked off almost savagely, feeling the warmth of her all around him, caught up in her passion. Gods he was so hard he thought he would explode, but he wanted this first, wanted to watch her fly for him. She was rubbing herself against his hand now almost mindlessly and he gave in to her unspoken plea, slipping first two fingers and then three into her opening, feeling the strong muscles bear down on his hand, both of them gasping now, on the verge of losing control, his dick hard and heavy between them. Burying his face in her neck, he mouthed her ear, loving the vacancy on her face, the sensual abandon as she gave in totally to his ministrations.

He bit her ear, not too gently. "Come on Kara, let go. Fly for me." At his exhortation her body shuddered even more and he buried his face back in the column of her neck, biting at the skin savagely, claiming her, leaving his mark. His woman. His.

Starbuck felt like she flying, as if she was on the perfect viper raid, body gone purely unconscious, riding higher and higher on waves of sensation. And when he whispered urgently in her ear she couldn't hold it any longer, her entire body spasming around his hand as his teeth bit into her neck, the whole thing sending her spinning out of control so she cried out sharp and high, the skin of her chest reddening and her whole body rigid as the crashing waves of her orgasm pulled her under.

She collapsed against his chest, gasping and he held her close, rubbing small circles on her skin as she came down from her high, waiting until she was lucid enough to raise lambent eyes to his, skin still flushed and rosy. Her mouth was deliciously swollen and he leaned forward to kiss it, groaning as the movement caused his length to rub against the skin of her stomach. He could feel her warmth as she reached down and ran strong fingers around the edge of him, gently teasing the head where it had slipped out of the top of his uniform trousers. But when she slipped a hand into his pants and set up a firm, rhythmic pressure he couldn't handle it any more and shifted his weight abruptly, pulling them both down to the ground and slipping down between her opened thighs.

Kara smiled at the impatient desire she saw in his expression, loving the feeling of his weight across her body, pushing her down. With anyone else she might have felt trapped, but this was Lee, and even if he lost control Lee would never hurt her. She smiled up at him and freed one hand to caress his face, closing her eyes in pleasure as he sucked at her fingers, the suction pulling deliciously at other parts of her body lower down. Gods she was close again already, and she wanted him with her this time when she flew.

Impatiently she slipped her hands down under his waistband, pulling off his pants, taking his underwear with them, hands curving around the globes of his butt. He groaned at her touch and thrust erratically at her, the hardness of his erection rasping deliciously across her stomach, making her gasp and writhe under him until he had to hold her hips still so he could reposition himself. He moved lower and she slipped her legs high around his waist, urging him on soundlessly with every movement of her body. He thrust once, twice, rubbing his length against her warm wetness and she cried out again, twisting under him. It was almost too much and she squeezed her eyes shut against the pleasure.

"Kara?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, seeing the control there, almost gone, already fraying at the edges, clear in the tension in his neck and the look of almost desperation in his eyes. She knew what he was asking and with a smile of pure love she shifted her body to let him in, gasping as he filled every part of her, the delicious stretch and fullness making her feel complete for the first time in years. And it was Lee, her Lee, fitting her so perfectly, complementing every angle and every depth. Overcome with emotion she felt tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes, caught in the intensity of his gaze. She could tell that he was holding himself still from sheer willpower but he still reached down to kiss her tears away, leaning down to catch her mouth in a tender kiss, breath shared with breath.

"I love you."

She had to close her eyes momentarily as even more tears leaked out and then laughed shakily, reaching out to pull his face down to hers and kiss him thoroughly before she let him go. "I love you too. Now don't make me wait any longer, flyboy."

His answering smile was almost dazzling and he gave into the impulse that he had been so harshly restraining, thrusting at first gently and then with increasing strength into her. She was tight, so hot, so perfectly matched with him and he almost felt like crying himself at the perfection of the moment. But instead he answered the gasped plea of her own rhythmic response, and thrust harder, faster. He was flying, caught up in her strength, caught up in his body's ecstatic response, better than a thousand fantasies, heart and body acting as one with one desire. But he wanted to take her with him. He pulled himself back enough to see what made her gasp and cry out, changed the rhythm, and pulled her with him, and for the second time that night Starbuck felt herself fracture in a million pieces as she went over the edge. But this time he went with her, and they were both there to catch each other when they fell.

Lee was grateful that he retained enough energy not to collapse on top of Kara immediately afterwards. Instead he slipped to one side pulling her with him, still close against him, piling her jacket over both of them in an effort to conserve some form of warmth, both breathing erratically in a way that running six laps of Galactica had never made either of them do. He felt sleepy and relaxed and absolutely contented, his entire body deliciously elastic, his heart quietly singing at the weight of the woman in his arms. Smiling a little he pressed a soft kiss on the top of her mop of blond hair where it rested on his chest, and smiled a little wider as her eyes appeared, followed by the rest of her, as she reached up languidly to give him a tender little kiss in response. Undoubtedly this would change things immeasurably but just now he couldn't bring himself to care. Whatever happened he had confidence they would work it out. After all they had negotiated Cylons, being left for dead, fatal last stands, hitting each other and the deaths of a civilisation in their relationship and it had remained intact. They weren't going to let a little thing like discovering they could have mind-blowing, earth shattering sex wreck it now. No, whatever happened she would always be his best friend and he would always be hers. And hopefully sometime soon they would be something more on a more official basis, if he could just persuade her to let him tell his father. Now that might be a battle. But that could wait for another time. Just now he just wanted to bask in the afterglow and just hold this amazing woman in his arms.

While he was considering this he felt her shift again and looked down to find her gazing up at him with clear, amused hazel eyes.

"What?"

She shrugged and grinned impishly. "I might have been too hasty," she admitted, oh so casually, running a hand across his chest and feeling him shiver. Her smile was wicked and wanton and edged with too many things to mention and he looked at her with his heart in his eyes. She leaned down to taste his lips once more, revelling in that taste that was just so Lee and murmured against his mouth. "Perhaps you do know how to dance after all." And with a shit-eating grin she leaned down to kiss him again, swallowing his sudden laughter. Because after all she had a reputation to maintain. She was Starbuck. And Starbuck always played to win.


End file.
